Abstract

We are deeply disturbed by the recent escalation of political assaults on scientists in general and on climate scientists in particular. All citizens should understand some basic scientific facts. There is always some uncertainty associated with scientific conclusions; science
never absolutely proves anything. When someone says that society should wait until scientists are absolutely certain before taking any action, it is the same as saying society should never take action. For a problem as potentially catastrophic as climate change, taking no action poses
a dangerous risk for our planet.

“Climate change and the integrity of science” by P. H. Gleick et al. (7 May, p. 689). Due to an editorial error, the original image was not a photograph but a collage. It was a mistake to have used it. The image (link available at www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/328/5979/689/DC2) has been replaced in the HTML version and in the online PDF by an unaltered photograph from National Geographic (CREDIT: Paul Nicklen/National Geographic/Getty Images) of two polar bears on an ice floe.